New Horizons
by The Minustarian
Summary: Carter and the Hammond are on their way to help a developing planet but something is about to happen but few are the signs. The journey is more important than the destination.
1. Qthoul

Disclaimer: The Stargate franchise, characters, places, etc. is not mine. I am only borrowing them to play. ^_^

**Chapter 1: Qthoul**

Samantha Carter was one of the most intelligent women of these first years of the 21st century. She had been there when Stargate Command—the SGC—had been incepted. She and her team had fought bravely and against all odds numerous adversaries but even the all mighty Anubis had been defeated. Then came the horror in the name of Origin. The Priors spread their evil on countless worlds with the simple motto of "convert or die". But that battle too was won. On the planets liberated from the Goa'uld or the Ori, the names of the Tau'ri had become synonymous with courage, endurance and never giving up. Now all that was history, Col. Samantha Carter was given the command of the _USS George Hammond_, the latest of Earth's _Daedalus_-class battlecruisers.

The _Hammond_ entered hyperspace a short instant after receiving orders from the SGC. An allied human civilisation had contacted the Tau'ri and asked them for help.

Most of the personnel were sent to Qthoul by the Stargate. It was easier and faster but the _Hammond_'s presence was required as Qthoul's government asked for help to build an automated mining station on the surface of their second moon. Samantha Carter was glad that their destination didn't involve using the _Hammond_'s powerful weaponry or auxiliary power and emergency transporters.

Qthoul was among the few lucky planets that hadn't been visited by the Goa'uld in centuries and which the Ori had all but ignored. Their Stargate had been buried in ruins for centuries when archaeologists had dug it up and put it in a museum. SG-6's arrival during the inauguration of the Museum of History in Vemeer, Qthoul's capital, had caused quite a stir. Since it had happened during the president's speech on live television, Qthoul's government hadn't been able to hide the fact that travel between planets by means of an Ancient device was possible.

Exchange of information and technology had helped Qthoul to develop their space programme. Two years after the exchange treaty was signed, the first Quthil walked on the surface of their second moon. The samples collected there revealed that the moon represented relatively easy access to almost pure naquadah ore. Most planets with accessible naquadah required extensive mining operations. The Goa'uld had used slaves for millennia to extract the previous mineral from these planets for them. Such a Goa'uld-free and naquadah-rich world was a godsend gift for Earth.

Even though the population of Earth was entirely unaware of the battles fought above the sky, there had been some advances in technology caused by the discovery of forgotten technology or the exchange of knowledge between planets. Everybody on Earth could now enjoy crystal-clear video on their computers thanks to a compression algorithm developed by the Ancients. The efficiency of recycling plants had been multiplied by ten thanks to a bacterium from Ga'aroth. While there are more powerful sources of energy than naquadah generators, Zero Point Modules for instance, naquadah generators remained a favourite, due partly to its compact size and highly versatile uses. The government of the United States of America was planning to release the naquadah generator technology to selected countries for the civilian production of electricity and there was the need for large quantities of naquadah.

In forty minutes, the _Hammond_ would arrive. That gave ample time to her commander to go down in the engineering section where she felt more relaxed. Sam typed her password on the console in front of her. She dismissed a few messages in her inbox and called up the data Daniel's sent her about the Quthils and their customs.

Apparently, it was the Goa'uld Bastet who enslaved the human population of Qthoul but the planet, unlike the second moon, is almost devoid of naquadah. The Goa'uld abandoned the planet and left its population evolve without interference—a feat few planets were allowed to achieve. Qthoul has three moons: Bor, Juneuth and Tlah.

Until fifty years ago, there were about sixty countries on the planet but following a series of wars, three major alliances emerged. Then again, they went to war against each other. The conflicts ended only when Tayyah detonated a nuclear bomb on one of the most populated cities in Vomshor. Five days later, Vomshor and Thlaqthan, Tayyah's enemies, offered their unconditional surrender. Today, Tayyah rules the planet. The original tensions in the population of Vomshor and Thlaqthan against the Tayyanites have subsided shortly after the war, partially thanks to the arrival of democracy in Vomshor and the industrial reforms in Thlaqthan.

The union of the three nations is called the Union of All Qthoul. It is led by the triumvirate of the three elected leaders of the former warring nations. Under them seats the United House of Qthoul, the parliament. They have no military but a civilian defence which has been inactive for the most part of the last fifty years. It was only when SG-6 arrived through the Stargate that the House recalled the Civil Defence into active duty. It was them who had control of the Stargate while the House controlled the economy related to the Stargate. The current members of the triumvirate were Fo Nerrea, Jiywa in-'Alassa and Lothrio Boshumos. The two first were male.

Lothrio Boshumos was not only first woman elected president in the very conservative Thlaqthan; she was also an academician, an archaeologist and linguist. In many regards, she was a female Daniel. But he was recruiting for the Icarus Project and at the same time translating portions the Asgard database. He couldn't come. Teal'c was on a political campaign on Dakara. Mitchell was training recruits. Vala was… Vala. That left her. And she had a brand new ship still warm from the assembly line.

She glanced at her wrist-watch. The _Hammond_ was about to arrive at her destination.

~o~o~o~

A.N.: I will not include SG-U in any fashion here, except perhaps with the mention of the Icarus Project. I feel that the show is too new to be included in this fanfiction.


	2. Below Vemeer

Chapter 2: Below Vemeer

Many thanks to all reviewers and to all those who read and liked the first chapter.

~o~o~o~

Lt. Andrews called her superior. "Ma'am, our ETA's two minutes." Samantha Carter thanked the _Hammond_'s navigator and communications officer. This trip to Qthoul was not the first for the _Hammond_. The ship was nonetheless new. It had left dry-dock two months earlier. It had almost been finished when a ZPM-powered Hive had attempted to attack Earth. Atlantis and her flag team had arrived in the last seconds before Hell was unleashed upon Earth and had defeated the Wraith. If she had been more religious, Samantha Carter would have thought that the Powers That Be, be she Hannah, were in their favour but being the scientist she was, she dismissed any divine intervention beyond the few times when the Ascended Ones had helped them. After all, for primitive minds, advanced technology looks like magic, doesn't it?

She was glad to be able to visit the city of the Ancients right there on Earth. In a way, she had come to like the people who worked there. It reminded her of SG-1 in their early years. She smiled. Now that Atlantis was on Earth, politicians in the IOA and Homeworld Security were hard-pressed to keep the Stargate secret. Some were lobbying for partial disclosure within the next four years. Partial disclosure only was necessary, she knew it. Earth's population was not ready for the complete truth about the Goa'uld, Anubis, Ori and the like. That was one of the many things she was to discuss with Lothrio Boshumos.

The blast doors that protected the command centre of the _Hammond_ from potential decompression slid loudly into the walls. The hypnotising blue-white vortex of the hyperspace was the first thing she saw. She loved the feeling of awe it brought in her. She loved this physical manifestation of quantum-gravity and multidimensional fields of force and how these were proof of the magnificent complexity of the Universe. All the personnel present on the bridge was under her command—or at least all the military personnel. There were more than sixty civilian engineers and mining experts on board. "Ten seconds to ETA." Lt. Andrews announced. Sam sat in her chair in between Tactical and Navigation. The teenage in her flashed memories of Star Trek reruns in the Seventies. "Take her out."

The _Hammond_dropped out of hyperspace with the grace of a swan made of titanium. "Qthoul is 70,000 klicks ahead. Vemeer is raising us." Major Sorenson at Tactical told her.

Sam looked at the small rectangular screen and pressed the blinking button. At once, two men and one woman could be seen on the screen. Their garb looked like something of a film noir in the Forties. By the amount of medals on the man in the middle and thanks to Daniel's data on Qthoul, Sam recognised Lord Marshall in-'Alassa, the triumvir of Vomshor. The other man, little with no hair if not for his long beard dyed red, was Councillor Nerrea of Tayyah, the _de facto_president of Qthoul. The woman, the one Sam was to meet was the last triumvir, Chancellor Boshumos of Thlaqthan. She was the first to speak.

"Greetings from Qthoul, _Hammond_. You are authorised to enter orbit. We await your arrival." Her accent was very thick and reminded Sam of Russian.

Sam nodded. "Copy that." A second later, one of the other screen flickered with data. "We've received the coordinates, Sir," said Sorensen.

~o~o~o~

When the transporter's light subsided, Sam could see that the room they arrived in was underground. She unconsciously located all exits. That reflex was something she had learnt from her years of running away from the 'bad guy' and something that had saved her life and the life of her companions countless times.

The triumvirate was there surrounded by bodyguard. Sam advanced followed by her own security team. "Hello from Earth."

Lord in-'Alassa offered his hand. "I hope that your journey to Qthoul was uneventful."

"It was. Thank you." Every diplomatic bone in Sam was tensing. She couldn't help but notice the balance of power between the triumvirs. In-'Alassa radiated power and force and Nerrea was clearly a politician. Boshumos seemed not to worry much in the politics. Her eyes were studying Sam and her crew. That look, she knew it well, was that of an anthropologist.

They walked outside the room. Nerrea spoke: "We've chosen our Stargate Command as your destination. We're 1,000 feet under Vemeer. Your arrival has been kept relatively secret." Sam's eyebrow did a perfect imitation of Teal'c's. "Why?" She asked bluntly. In-'Alassa answered. "There have been… accidents… in the past month." Sam's interest peaked.

"Accidents?" She said. "Something to do with the Stargate?"

"Not directly, but for all intents and purpose, yes." That was Boshumos. Sam felt Nerrea's stare shift. "Anarchists in Thlaqthan have threatened the Union. Five policemen are currently held hostage somewhere near the border between Thlaqthan and Vomshor." Nerrea's lips were parting but Sam sensed it and quickly cut him short. "It is my duty to inform you that I am not authorised to interfere in your local affairs." She quoted from her mission orders. They had known that there was some political tension on Qthoul and Homeworld Security had expressly demanded that the _Hammond_remained neutral in the regard. They were already enough problems with the Lucian Alliance and the Free Jaffa Nation of late.

"We understand." Nerrea said. "We're going further down to the Gate room where your personnel are waiting." They entered an elevator big enough to fit at small car. Sam stomach jumped in her throat as it descended. "When your colleagues told us of the powers of the Stargate and the potential enemies that roam the Galaxy, we copied your strategy." Boshumos told them. "The Stargate was moved in this maze of tunnels that were dug in the Unification War under Vemeer. The corridors are dug in natural veins of chalk embedded in basalt."

"Radiation proof and remarkably resistant to bombing from the surface", in-'Alassa added, clearly admiring the base. "We've had to make a few changes to our constitution." Boshumos continued. "As you know, we've outlawed the formation of military after the War but under your guidance, the Ministry of Defence created the Department of Interplanetary Defence with its own forces. The D.I.D. answers to the Triumvirate directly." She let Nerrea continue: "Since they are not _technically_military, our operations must be budgeted by the House and in the last six years, since we've opened the Stargate, the economy has been fragile".

"I imagine that's where we come in." Sam asked.

"Yes." In-'Alassa was definitely one for monosyllables.

The elevator came to a stop. "Enough for now, we have a mining operation to commence." He added.

~o~o~o~

They had arrived five hours earlier and the meeting was about to end. Apparently, the Triumvirate had received the House's authorisation to start mining Juneuth's far side as soon as the discussion had ended.

Lothrio Boshumos had invited Samantha and some officers from the _Hammond_to the counterpart of the SGC's mess hall. The Thlaqthanian Chancellor led them to a table.

"There isn't much we can offer on a military base; however, I would suggest that you try the dzokhi." "Dzokhi?" Dr Merckx, an expert on the formation of planets from the Netherlands, asked.

"It is a dish from Thlaqthan." The Quthil lunch-lady came with plates with wobbling shapeless smurf-blue pieces of jelly. Sam looked at them with apprehension. She took a small portion on her spoon and carefully placed it on her tongue. Almost instantly, the dzokhi melted and released an aroma which reminded her of mint and liquorice. She had just tasted jell-o from another planet!


	3. Juneuth

Chapter 3: Juneuth

Thank you for the reviews! Happy reading!

~o~o~o~

The crew of the _Hammond_ was coordinating the transport of all mining supplies to the ship from the Quthil SGC. Lothrio Boshumos and Fo Nerrea were both present on the bridge as the Tau'ri vessel broke orbit.

"Juneuth is 120,000 kilometres ahead. ETA is 15 minutes." Andrews announced. There was something in Boshumos that told Sam that she was clearly uncomfortable, but diplomatic enough not to say so. In her own way, she could understand the Thlaqthanian. Sam had had years of training for her missions. Yet, none of her training in the US Air Force had prepared her for the hardships of war against enemies a million times more advanced and nonetheless masters in cunning.

"Begin scanning the moon." She ordered and then turned to her two Quthil guests. "We will use the sensors on the _Hammond_ to scan the surface of Juneuth to determine where to build the base." She explained. "After that, we will send a crew to bury the first prefabricated elements of the base in the regolith."

"Why?" Nerrea asked. "Shouldn't the magnetic field of Qthoul be strong enough to protect the moons from solar activity?" He had clearly paid attention to the report his Ministry of Science had prepared. Boshumos eyes rolled seven times in their sockets.

"A good question, sir!" Dr Merckx had emerged from the ship's bowels and tactlessly interrupted the discussion between the ship's commander and two of the three Quthil triumvirs. "You see... Your star, Za..?"

"Zham'iqshah." Boshumos chipped carefully pronouncing the name.

"Zameexa…" He continued haphazardly. "is not stable. It has a tendency to produce massive flares."

"We know… Our electricity distribution networks have regularly problems." Nerrea retort was reeking of annoyance. Sam felt as if she should interrupt Dr Merckx but she let him continue. He would otherwise pester them for hours. "Anyhow, the base needs to be shielded and since we prefer do that without the heavy energy requirements of force fields, we will bury the base 15 ft. in the regolith."

A beep rang. "The sensor sweep is complete." Sorenson said. They moved closer to the display. A schematic display of the moon appeared on it. Boshumos and Nerrea could not decipher the screens. English was still a foreign language for them. Sam read some of the data aloud but when her eyes reached the line labelled _Avg. density of body_, she hesitated. "Density, 11.5!"

Boshumos asked. "Is there something wrong?"

"I am no expert on planetary formation," Sam explained "but from what I know, most planets and moons have a density between 3 and 6 times the density of water depending on whether they're rich in iron and heavy metals or made of ice. I have never seen such a dense world." Sam scanned the rest of the report and could see that every other piece of information wasn't matching such a high density. "This must have been a glitch in our sensors." She half-mumbled. "Rescan the moon."

"Yes, sir!" Major Sorenson said. A few buttons were pushed and new data streamed on the screen. "Density... Still 11.5! Scanning again." And for the third time that day, impossible data glowed on the screen.

Dr Merckx looked at the screen in disbelief. "That can't be…" "Lieutenant?" Sam asked one of her subordinates. "What is the status of the sensors?" She was surprised that that option hadn't yet been considered. "The Asgard core reports that all sensors are functioning at 99.995 percent of their designed efficiency." The lieutenant read from the screen.

"Is it possible that your computer core isn't getting correct information?" Boshumos asked kindly. "Your ship is still new. The glitch may be caused by an error in calibration." She continued, her scientific mind postulating hypotheses.

Sam didn't even have to order Lt. Toombs: he nodded to his CO and took off. Two minutes later, Toombs called the bridge. "The sensors appear to be functioning. The Core tells me that there is massive interference coming from the moon, ma'am." Sam placed her hand on Andrews' shoulder.

"Deploy sensor buoys." She turned to her guests. "We should be receiving sensor data with a much higher resolution once the buoys are in orbit around your moon." Both nodded. Boshumos looked apologetic. "We didn't expect Juneuth to be such a problem."

"It isn't." Sam quickly retorted. "It is the first time we launch such an operation. Like the cooperation treaty states, the mining operation on Juneuth is, in the first phase, an experiment." She quoted word-for-word from the treaty that the IOA and the House of Qthoul had brokered.

"We know." Nerrea said. Sam had the feeling that as long as the naquadah remained on the moon, he wouldn't be satisfied and she could understand him. The Quthil government had warned the SGC that many members of the House were sceptical. The opposition was trying to expel all non-Quthil from their SGC. The scars of the Unification War were still wide open in rural area. While the political integration of Vomshor and Thlaqthan had been a relative success, there were still immense disparities between the former warring nations.

"We also understand that there is much at stake in this operation for the governments of Earth, is it not?" Boshumos asked. "Indeed," said Sam, "for more or less the same reasons as your government. This mission is a test of the viability of vacuum mining." Sam recalled the briefing she had received before taking off. "We have three options available to us at the present time. One, we continue to depend on the traditional methods of mining naquadah—methods which are unacceptable regarding human rights and barely better than under the Goa'uld. Two, we drag asteroids from foreign systems to planets under our jurisdiction and mine them from orbit. This option is currently the preferred one; however, there remains the risk of dragging huge rocks across space and their falling on inhabited planets and it is very expensive. Finally, we could establish partially automated mining bases on naquadah-rich soils and share the revenue with the indigenous governments." She inhaled some air. "That third option is obviously the one we've chosen."

Nerrea had apparently heard that same speech before. "We know. Half of our industry is expecting some benefits from mining naquadah for you. The House had to implement some financial safeguards: the stock market hasn't been stable since first contact."

That was her cue. "It is actually one of the things we wanted to discuss with you while the installation of the base was underway."

"How so?" Nerrea's interest had shifted from trying to comprehend the displays in English to Samantha Carter, commander of the _Hammond_. "Your diplomatic corps hasn't mentioned this during the meeting yesterday."

"No." Sam knew that every word could spell disaster in their relations with Qthoul. The planet wasn't the first ally Earth had made in the galaxy. Many of the allies Earth had had severed all links with Earth during the war with the Ori in fear that their alliance would attract the Priors. Of all the Earth's allies only six other planets were at least as technologically advanced as 21st century Earth. All the others were either slowly rebuilding their civilisation in the wake of the Systems Lords and the Ori or had barely the technology of the Middle Age. "This part of our discussion is to remain informal for the moment."

Nerrea was about to said something but Boshumos stopped him. "We see."

"The governments of Earth think that the time has come to reveal the Stargate to the general population." Sam said.

"And you're hoping to gain some insight in how to do that from our experience with disclosure?"

"Yes." At that moment, Lt. Andrews announced that the sensor buoys were in position. "Status?" Sam ordered. "The buoys report that the molecular density of the moon from the surface until 50 miles below is 11.5 but that below that line, the density is close to zero."

Boshumos was quickest. "Does that mean that Juneuth is hollow?" Her surprised tone summarised the situation perfectly.

"It seems so." Sam said and shrugged. "That doesn't make any sense. Doctor?" She turned to Merckx who had remained silent for the duration of the exchange. "I agree. Such setup can't occur naturally—at least not with a reasonable probability… I suggest that we take a sample of the 'crust' with the Asgard transporters. About a 10 cm piece." He added. Sam agreed. She ordered Sorenson to teleport a piece to one of the labs.

~o~o~o~

There were seventeen scientists buzzing like bees in a hive around the small black sphere that hovered two inches above the table in the middle of the laboratory. Half of them were quiet and typed equations hastily on their computers while the other half was trying to scan, photograph, sample the object. Sam would have participated in their research, but as the commander of the _Hammond_, she had other duties. The ship was no longer in orbit around the moon, instead, the _Hammond_ orbited 300 kilometres above Tlah, the farthest and smallest of Qthoul's three moons.

She had to confess that in the twelve years she'd worked at the SGC or in Atlantis, she has seen many wondrous and unexpected sights. But a hollow moon! That was something she had never imagined was possible. She had decided that while the physicists and cosmologists attached to the mission were studying the sample taken from Juneuth, she would discuss politics with the Quthil triumvirs.

Fo Nerrea and Lothrio Boshumos were sitting on one side of the semi-oval table. Nerrea's impatient nature was almost tangible. He was clearly displeased that the mining operation wasn't underway. The chef had prepared a selection of sandwiches and fruit juice for the guests. The MREs were old news when you were on a large ship.

"You see, the sudden arrival of SG-6 has caused quite a stir." Boshumos explained. "While the majority of our scientists agreed that life could have evolved on other planets, the public, in general wasn't ready for that piece of news."

"If we are to believe your experts, the Goa'uld had enslaved our population 5,000 years ago. And she's left us ever since." She continued. Sam nodded. "Allowing your civilisation to evolve unscathed. And allowing you to forget alien influence."

~o~o~o~

A/N: Concerning the Asgard and Ancient translation programs, I suspect that they are at least a million times better than _Google Translate_ at translating, but translation is so much more than simply looking a word up in one language and looking for a corresponding word in another language. I have always imagined that the people in Atlantis read English translations of the Ancient language(s) and that the translations were not 100% perfect English but still intelligible enough to make sense.


End file.
